HARARE, Zimbabwe — Residents along the streets of this capital city grappled with a new reality Wednesday after the military sidelined President Robert Mugabe, its leader for the past 37 years.

Once heralded for seizing power from British rule and the nation's white elites, the 93-year-old's tenure in recent years has been marked by human rights abuses and economic collapse in what was once one of the African continent's most promising and prosperous nations.

"Mugabe was president since I was born," said Kudakwashe Gore, 32, a mechanic. "He was spoiling his legacy by failing to pass on the baton."

Military forces detained Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, and his wife, Grace Mugabe, 52, and placed them under house arrest early Wednesday after weeks of political tumult rocked the nation.

“I am excited that the Mugabe dictatorial era has come to an end," said George Makoni, 37, a media advocacy officer at a non-governmental organization. "I am also afraid this political uncertainty could lead to anarchy and chaos if not properly managed."

Tanks rolled down Harare's boulevards and gunfire could be heard on the streets as the military seized government offices and state-run media outlets. But military officials insisted the actions didn't constitute a coup, rather an effort to apprehend "criminals" who had ensnared the nation's first family.

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Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, one of the world's longest serving non-royal leaders, may be experiencing an abrupt end in office. Zimbabwe's military appears to be in control of the country on Nov. 15, 2017. Generals denied staging a coup but used state television to vow to target "criminals" close to President Robert Mugabe. JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe (2L) inspects a guard of honour during official Heroes Day commemorations held at National Heroes Acre in Zimbabwe. Mugabe born Robert Mugabe was born on Feb.21, 1924, in Kutama, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) founded ZANU, a resistance movement against British colonial rule. Mugabe became prime minister of the new Republic of Zimbabwe in April of 1980 when British rule ended. JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

Soldiers man their position with a military vehicle outside the office of President Robert Mugabe, in Harare, on Wednesday. Zimbabwe's military controls the capital and the state broadcaster, Wednesday, and is understood to be holding 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe and his wife under house arrest. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP

A handout picture obtained on Wednesday, from the Twitter account of the Fadzayi Mahere, advocate of the High Court and Supreme Court of Zimbabwe, shows what appears to be an image of officers sitting in a line with troops guarding them at an undisclosed location in Harare. AFP/Getty Images

Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, right, stands with President Robert Mugabe outside State House, in Harare, Zimbabwe, in this December 2014 file photo. The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has reportedly taken control over the government of President Robert Mugabe. The army seized the national broadcaster's headquarters (ZBC) on 14 November night, to announce that President Mugabe and his family were safe but without citing their whereabouts. The military denied it staged a coup d'etat. AARON UFUMELI, EPA-EFE

An armed soldier patrols a street in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Wednesday. Zimbabwe's army said Wednesday it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital's streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster. AP

A bodyguard sits in between a portrait and a life-size poster of a youthful Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, during a meeting with the country's war veterans in Harare, on April, 7, 2016. The meeting was held following complaints by the veterans that Mugabe had abandoned them for a younger faction of the party led by his wife Grace. In his speech Mugabe called on unity and discipline among the veterans. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP

A woman holds up a portrait of Grace Mugabe during a gathering of President's supporters at his party headquarters to show support to Grace Mugabe becoming the party's next Vice President after the dismissal of Emerson Mnangagwa. JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

President Robert Mugabe kissies his wife and first lady Grace Mugabe during during the country's 37th Independence Day celebrations at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. They are now under house arrest in Zimbabwe's Presidential palace. JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

epa06218458 President of Zimbabwe Robert Gabriel Mugabe speaks during the General Debate of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 21 September 2017. The annual gathering of world leaders formally opened on 19 September 2017, with the theme, 'Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.' EPA-EFE/JASON SZENES ORG XMIT: JSX24 JASON SZENES, EPA-EFE

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 21: Zimbabwe's President Robert Gabriel Mugabe was unsteady on his feet after addressing the U.N. General Assembly at the United Nations on September 21, 2017 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775046318 ORIG FILE ID: 851064952 Kevin Hagen, Getty Images

epa06317212 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (L) and his wife First Lady Grace (R) depart after an Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu PF) supporters solidarity rally held at the party's headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe, 08 November 2017 (issued 09 November 2017). The solidarity rally was held to show support of Mugabe and also throw weight behind First Lady Grace Mugabe for the post of vice president following the sacking of former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa from the post on 06 November 2017. EPA-EFE/AARON UFUMELI ORG XMIT: XAU3
AARON UFUMELI, EPA-EFE

A supporter of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU PF party stands next to a fallen statue of President Robert Mugabe on Aug. 30, 2017 in Harare, in a show of support for first lady Grace Mugabe who evaded assault allegations in South Africa by claiming diplomatic immunity. JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

President Robert Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe, age 93, rests at the Opening Session of the 37th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government at the OR Tambo Building in Pretoria on Aug. 20, 2017.
The theme of the two-day Summit attended by heads of state from the 15 member nations is: partnering with the private sector in developing industry and regional value chains. GULSHAN KHAN, AFP/Getty Images

A supporter holds up a picture of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as he joins with thousands of church members who attended an interface rally at Rufaro Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Nov. 5, 2017. The rally which was which was conducted by First Lady Grace Mugabe was aimed to preach peace and unity to ensure the country holds peaceful elections in 2018. However, Grace Mugabe also took the platform to attack vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa for attempting to topple President Robert Mugabe. AARON UFUMELI, EPA-EFE

Opposition Movement For Democtratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Dougals Mwonzora talks to the media at the Constitutional Court in Harare, on Aug.19, 2013. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who lost to President elect, Robert Mugabe in recent elections has withdrawn his legal challenge to the July 31 vote, but Zimbabweís Constitutional Court on Monday heard demands by Mugabe's attorneys for a hearing to go ahead anyway, apparently reflecting the president's confidence. TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI, AP

Many Zimbabweans reacted with a mixture of despair and resignation to the news that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew a court appeal to re-examine the electoral results that gave President Robert Mugabe a landslide victory in 2013. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP

Mugabe arrives for the presentation of the national budget at Parliament in Harare, on, Nov. 24, 2011. Zimbabwe's Finance Minster Tendai Biti says he will plow $600 million in new revenue from diamonds into the nation's ailing health, water and power services. A highly educated man, one of Mugabe's seven earned degrees is a bachelors in economics. TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI, AP

A child stands outside his home in a Harare suburb on June 8, 2008. The government ordered all independent aid groups to suspend field work indefinitely, a move the U.N. says puts at least 2 million people at greater risk of starvation, homelessness and disease in a country in economic collapse, making them dependent on the government and Mugabe's party. AP

Supporters of President Robert Mugabe, attend an election rally for the ruling ZANU PF party's youth in Harare, on June 13, 2008. Zimbabwe's welfare minister ordered independent aid groups to stop field work last week, prompting charges that Mugabe was using food as a political weapon before a June 27 presidential runoff. AP

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right, is seen, at his inauguration ceremony at State house in Harare, June, 29, 2008. Mugabe was sworn in following a run off election in which he was the sole candidate following the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader in Zimbabwe. TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI, AP

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe pays his respects to former resistance leader and South African President Nelson Mandela during the lying in state in Pretoria, South Africa, Dec. 11, 2013. Elmond Jiyane, AP

Former South African president Nelson Mandela, right, with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Harare. Mandela, now in a hospital, quit after a single term as South African president. Robert Mugabe, Africa's oldest head of state remained in charge until Nov. 15, 2017. These two larger-than-life figures, who chose different paths once in power, represent a rivalry over style and ideas that resonates beyond southern Africa. Rob Cooper, AP

James Morris, left, head of the World Food Program (WFP) and peronal envoy of UN secretary general Kofi Anan, meets with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right, on June 1 2005. Morris met with Mugabe for talks on the country's growing humanitarian crisis. A shortage of food left up to 4 million Zimbabweans at risk, but Mugabe insisted that Zimbabwe would only accept international food aid if there are no political conditions. AP

President Mugabe is seen at the launch of his ruling party's ZANU PF ( Zambabwe African National Union Pariotic Front) election campaign in Bindura, north of Harare, in this April 7, 2000 file photo. Twenty years after Mugabe lead his country to independence he is being branded a despot for ignoring court rulings to evict violent squatters who have occupied more than 900 white-owned farms. ROB COOPER, Associated Press

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, right, and his wife Grace, center, arrive in a Rolls Royce for the opening of parliament in Harare, July 22, 2003. Opposition lawmakers decided not to walk out of the ceremony breaking their boycott of official events addressed by Mugabe. The couple was married in 1996. She was his former secretary. AP

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, left, addresses black villagers at the handover of a white-owned commercial farm for resettlement in 1998. At the beginning of 1999, the 74-year-old Mugabe faced seething discontent over worsening economic hardships, a costly war in distant Congo and unchecked government corruption. ROB COOPER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prime Minister Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe waits for guests with his wife Sally at the National Sports Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe to celebrate the 10th anniversary of independence from Britain, April 18, 1990. AP

Elected deputy President of the African National Congress Nelson Mandela, left, and President Robert Mugabe greet people at the airport where Mandela arrived from Lusaka, March 4, 1990, Harare, Zimbabwe. Mandela was on a world tour. John Parkin, AP

Smiling happily, Robert Mugabe, Rhodesian President Designate and his Ghanaian wife, Sally, hold hands in the rose garden of their Salisbury bungalow, Zimbabwe, on March 6, 1980, as Mugabe worked at forming a Government following his party's landslide electoral victory. Sally Mugabe died in 1992. In 1978 she was elected ZANU-PF Deputy Secretary for the Women's League. In 1980 she assumed national role of the wife of Zimbabwe's first black Prime Minister. She became the First Lady of Zimbabwe in 1987 when her husband became the second President of Zimbabwe. Louise Gubb, AP

Black Rhodesian guerrilla leader Robert Mugabe addresses a news conference in Rome in Feb. 1978. Mugabe said his Patriotic Front is not willing to settle at the negotiating table for less than it could win on the battlefield. Bettmann, Bettmann Archive

"As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy," Major General Sibusiso Moyo announced in a televised address early Wednesday. He added the Mugabe family was "safe and sound and their security is guaranteed."

The military had announced Monday it would "step in" to quell the turmoil within the president's ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF.

The party had splintered into two competing factions amid discussions over who would succeed the Mugabe, drawing lines in the sand between Grace Mugabe and one of the nation's two vice-presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

President Mugabe fired Mnangagwa last week, accusing him of plotting to take over as leader. Mnangagwa, whose whereabouts were unclear Wednesday, fled the country citing threats to himself and his family.

Mnangagwa's departure cleared the way for disciplinary action against 100 senior officials and his supporters, which in turn opened the door for Grace Mugabe to position herself as the party's next leader and nation's next president.

Now that the military has taken the Mugabe out of play, Mnangagwa could be reinstated and assume leadership.

"One can't just read this as an army takeover," said Teddy Brett, a professor of international development at the London School of Economics. "They've created a situation where they can move their man into position and hopefully turn Mugabe into a puppet who balances all the forces but doesn't make decisions."

Neighboring countries announced plans to send leaders to negotiate and encourage a peaceful transition of power. South African President Jacob Zuma's office said the South African defense and security ministers were being sent to meet with Mugabe and officials from Zimbabwe’s army.

The U.S. State Department asked the country's leaders to exercise restraint, saying the Trump administration was “concerned by recent actions undertaken by Zimbabwe’s military forces." The U.S. “does not take sides in matters of internal Zimbabwean politics and does not condone military intervention in political processes,” it said in a statement.

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An armed soldier patrols a street in Harare, Zimbabwe on Nov. 15, 2017. Zimbabwe's army said it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital's streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster. AP

Armed soldiers stand on the road leading to President Robert Mugabe's office in Harare, Zimbabwe on Nov. 15, 2017. Overnight, at least three explosions were heard in the capital, Harare, and military vehicles were seen in the streets. On Monday, the army commander had threatened to "step in" to calm political tensions over the 93-year-old Mugabe's possible successor. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP

TOPSHOT - Young women walk past an armoured personnel carrier that stations by an intersection as Zimbabwean soldiers regulate traffic in Harare on November 15, 2017.
Zimbabwe's military appeared to be in control of the country on November 15 as generals denied staging a coup but used state television to vow to target "criminals" close to President Mugabe. / AFP PHOTO / Jekesai NJIKIZANAJEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_UA4I0 JEKESAI NJIKIZANA, AFP/Getty Images

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Many welcomed the move to neutralize the Mugabe and his wife, saying their exit would precipitate a new age of prosperity for this economically devastated southern African nation, where the currency has become virtually worthless.

"It opens a new chapter for me and my family," said Norman Mpofu, 30, a teacher in Harare. "I can now plan for my future and my children."

Others worried the military may not be so keen to embrace democracy and that officers could fall into infighting.

"This is not good at all," said Hildar Zunga, 40, a housewife. "Once soldiers taste power, there will always be coups.”